aiken



2 Sheets Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

H. AIKEN.

MILL APPLIANCE.

Patented Nov. 19, 1889.

INVENTOR.

one

coura eous um-u noon WITNESSES.

N. PEIEHS, Pmwumm rm, Waahinglon, u.c.

(No-Modgl.) 2 Sheets-SheeEZl H. AIKEN. MILL APPLIANCE.

No. 415,663. Patented Nov. 19, 1889.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY AIKEN, OF HOMESTEAD, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO DAVID I3. OLIVER, OFPITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

MILL APPLIANCE.

e ECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 415,663, dated November19, 1889.

Application filed January 4, 1889.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY AIKEN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Homestead, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented or discovered a certain new and usefulImprovement in Mill Appliances, of which improvement the following is aspecification.

In rolling-mill practice it is customary to weigh the articles operatedon at various stages of their manufacture and also at the end of thefinishing operation. This practice necessitates the employment of alarge number of laborers to transfer the articles to and from thescales, especially when the articles to be weighed-such as slabs andplates-are large and cumbersome.

- The object of the invention described herein is to provide suitablemovable supportssuch as casters, rollers, or any suitable form ofroller-bearings-whereby the slabs, plates, &c., may be easily rolledalong from one mechanism to another of the plant, in combination withscales arranged in such relation to the roller-bearings that thearticles may be transferred to the platform of the scales by a movementof either the scales or roller-bearings.

In general terms the invention consists in the construction andcombination of devices or elements, all as more fully hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of a rolling-mill plant having myinvention embodied therein in one form. of its application, theroller-bearin gs being represented by casters. Fig. 2 is a sectionalview on the line 00 0c, the scales and its supporting mechanism beingshown in elevation. Fig. 3 is a similar view on the line y y, Fig. 1.Fig. 4 is a plan view of a portion of a rolling-mill plant wherein areemployed rollers having a greateror less length of bearing-face andfixed, as distinguished from .pivoted or swivel bearings.

1 In the practice of my invention I provide suitable roller-bearings 1,here shown as of caster construction, arranged on the floorplates 2 ofthe mill. in such relation to the various mechanisms A B, 850., forminga part of Serial No. 295,434. (No model.)

the plant that the slabs, plates, or other articles may be easily movedfrom one mechanism to another. The casters when employed are inverted,the end of the stem being inserted in the floor of the mill, asdescribed in Letters Patent No. 393,051, dated November 20, 1888.

The mechanisms A B, &c., may be shears, a train of rolls, a hammer, orother mechanism employed in rolling-mill practice.

At such places as it may be desirable to arrange the scales a pit 3 isformed below the level of the mill-floor, and in this pit is arranged ahydraulic or other suitable lift or elevator 4, adapted to raise theplatform or supporting part of the scales 5 above the level of the uppersurfaces of the roller-bearings an amount sufficient to transfer theentire weight of the slabs or plates from the rollerbearings to theplatform of the scales and to lower the platform or supporting part ofthe scales below said roller-bearings, so as to permit the slabs orplates to be moved away from the scales.

Any suitable constructionor form of scales may be employed, and they maybe arranged singly or in pairs, as shown in Fig. 1, atany desired pointin the plant; and while preferring to employ casters-i. e., rollershaving the bearings movable horizontally as increasing the range ofadjustment or movement of the plate or other article being operated on Ido not limit myself to such construction of rotating bearing, but employrollers such as shown in Fig. 4 or any other suitable form of rotatingbearing, especially where, as is sometimes the case, the movement ofslabs, &c., is always in one direct-ion.

It will be readily understood that various changes may be made in myinvention without any substantial departure therefrom as, for example,the scales may be arranged below the level of the rollers or casters andthe floor-plates adjacent to the scales may be arranged in a suitablelift or elevator, whereby said floor-plates, with their rollers orcasters carrying the slabs or plates to be weighed, can be lowered untilthe slabs or plates rest upon the platform of the scales and then raisedto normal position.

In order to protect the scale-beam and its l below the upper edges ofthe roller-bearings,

support from in j ury,-I provide bars (5, attached to the platform ofthe scales and extending over the scale-beam, as shown in Fig. 3, and inorder to steady the scales while being raised and lowered I provideguide-rods 7, attached to the scales and extending down through suitableopenings in the floor-plates.

I claim herein as my invention- In a mill plant, the combination of aseries of roller-bearin gs and scales having their platform orsupporting portion norm ally arranged the roller-bearings or scalesbeing vertically movable, so as to transfer the article to be weighedfrom the roller-bearings to the platform of the scales, and vice versa,substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

HENRY AIKEN.

Witnesses:

R. ll. WHITTLEsEY, DARWIN S. WOLOOTT.

